


Practice Makes Perfect

by BunniesofDoom



Category: RWBY
Genre: Caretaking, Friendship, Gen, Headaches & Migraines, Hurt/Comfort, Self-Indulgent, Shameless self indulegence, Volume 7 (RWBY), side effects of magical powers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:48:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28838058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BunniesofDoom/pseuds/BunniesofDoom
Summary: Ruby practices using her silver eye powers while in Atlas.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna & Ruby Rose, Ruby Rose & Weiss Schnee, Ruby Rose & Yang Xiao Long
Kudos: 44





	Practice Makes Perfect

**Author's Note:**

> Me? Adding sprinkles of plot to my fics so that I can pretend that they're not just shameless hurt/comfort? It's more likely than you'd think. Anyway the majority of this is set during the early part of volume 7, during the time that elapses during Sparks. Content warning for brief mentions of vomit. Enjoy!

It's a relief to have finally arrived in Atlas. They're all grateful to have a break from traveling, as well as a place to hunker down and rest for a bit. But they also need to take advantage of this downtime to train and get stronger before they're forced to face Salem's forces again. And Ruby is determined to make use of every tool that they have access to.

So, after they've discussed the rest of their training plans, Ruby makes an announcement. "I want to practice using my eyes to take down Grimm. We need to take advantage of everything we can do to fight back against Salem, and I can't rely on just hoping that they work like I did back in Argus."

Her team is quiet for a moment, exchanging a few small glances before finally Blake pipes up. "That sounds like a good idea, Ruby. But." She looks firmly at her leader. "How exactly do you intend to do that?"

"Yeah," Weiss chimes in. "Did Maria tell you how she trained to use her powers?"

"Not really," Ruby admits, running her hands through her hair with a sigh. "Maria basically told me that the only training I would get would be on the battlefield. I figure that while we're here, fighting Grimm down in Mantle is the best opportunity I'm going to get."

"That sounds reasonable," Blake says. Weiss and Yang nod in agreement.

"Well, that's settled then." Ruby lets some of the tension seep out of her shoulders. "The reason I wanted to give you guys a heads up about this is I don't exactly have a lot of practice using my eyes, and sometimes it has kinda weird effects. Remember how sleepy I was after the Battle of Haven?" she reminds them, chuckling a little. "I'll need you guys to watch my back, just in case something goes wrong."

"Of course, sis."

"You can count on us," Weiss says instantly. Blake nods.

"Thanks, guys." Ruby smiles gratefully, but it fades when she thinks about what she's going to tell them next. They're probably not going to like it at all. "I also wanted to tell you guys because I don't want to tell Ironwood or the Ace Ops about what I can do just yet."

"Great, more secrets," Yang grumbles.

Ruby sighs. "Look, I don't like keeping things from the General any more than you do, but there's just so much we don't know right now. Plus, it's not just my secret to keep, it's Maria's as well. So for now, let's just keep this between us, okay?"

None of them look very enthused at the prospect, but when she looks at them firmly, they all nod begrudgingly. Ruby figures it's the best she's going to get.

"Okay, glad we could get that settled," she says, deciding to change the subject. "Now, who's ready for some breakfast? Go team RWBY!"

And so, her practice begins.

It takes some thinking to find a good window for using her powers, because she has to find an opening where they're both fighting Grimm down in Mantle, as well as either patrolling alone or far enough from the Ace Ops that they won't notice what she's doing. She gets her first chance about a week later when she and Yang are checking Mantle's defensive walls and they happen to stumble across a huge pack of Beowolves.

"Cover me!" she calls to her sister, scaling down the side of the wall until she has the entire group within her line of sight. Ignoring the sound of her sister firing rounds from Ember Celica, Ruby takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, concentrating on thoughts of protecting her sister, her friends, the people of Atlas. When she opens her eyes again, the world is engulfed in a flash of silver light, and she can hear the monsters howling in pain.

Her eyes sting at the too-bright light and her head throbs in pain, leaving her weak and dizzy, but she grits her teeth and forces herself to scramble back up to the top of the wall before collapsing to her knees. "Did I get them all?" she asks hoarsely.

"Yep." She feels Yang's hand on her shoulder, but her head is spinning too much for her to look up at her sister. "You smoked them all, sis. We're good. How're you feeling?"

Ruby can see her sister's worried expression without even opening her eyes. "Not—not so great," she admits, swallowing hard and shivering.

"You look like you've got a killer headache," Yang says, keeping her voice mercifully quiet as she crouches next to her in the snow. "How about we get you back to the dorms?"

"Okay," Ruby mumbles. Heading back sounds like the best idea she's heard all day. It sounds less appealing when she realizes that it involves moving from her current position, crouched on top of the outer wall of Mantle. Yang is gentle as she hoists Ruby into her arms and stands slowly, but the change in elevation still makes her head ache in protest. She swallows hard again to keep from throwing up, taking several deep breaths and letting her head fall back against Yang's chest.

"Hey, Ruby?"

"Yeah?" she mumbles, voice barely audible.

"I think you overdid it a little for your first time out." A pause. "Also, if you puke on me, I will kill you."

"Right." Too exhausted to respond further, Ruby lets the steady rhythm of her sister's heartbeat lull her to sleep, letting the pain and fatigue wash away in favor of unconsciousness.

When she wakes up that afternoon in her bunk, swaddled in blankets and with a cool cloth on her forehead, head still pounding faintly, she has to agree with her sister. Maybe she should start a little smaller next time.

Her next opportunity comes when she's working with Blake, helping vendors set up their wares down in Mantle when a pair of Ursai appear out of nowhere. How they even got there is a mystery, given that they're practically in the center of the city. They should have been long since taken out by the city's defenses.

Apparently, nobody told the Ursai that.

"It's like that wall isn't even doing anything!" Blake growls in frustration, standing between the helpless citizens and the roaring Grimm. "This is ridiculous!"

One Ursa would be easy enough to handle, but a pair of them might be tricky with just the two of them—unless. Out of the corner of her eye, Ruby spots that the vendors are far too busy trying to protect their stalls to pay any attention to what the pair of huntresses protecting them are doing. It's now or never.

"Blake!" she calls to her friend, tapping into her desire to protect her friends and the people of the city around them. The power builds more quickly this time, bathing everything in front of her in radiant light. The Ursai don't even have time to scream before they vanish.

"Great job, Ruby!"

Ruby nods in acknowledgement, wincing and rubbing at her forehead in an attempt to ease the now-familiar ache that's started up again behind her eyes. "Are the vendors okay?"

"Everyone's fine, Ruby. The Grimm didn't get anywhere near them."

"Good." Ruby forces herself to straighten up and smile at Blake. "What else do we need to do?"

"I think we can be done here, if you want. We've gotten everything set up, and I messaged the others to let them know that we're finished." Blake bites her lip as she looks Ruby up and down. "Why don't we head back?"

This time, Ruby makes it back to the transport ship before passing out. Progress!

Gradually, Ruby begins to find using the power of her silver eyes to be less draining. With every bit of practice, she finds herself becoming more confident in her abilities. The protective mindset that Maria had told her about is becoming more natural for her, and she finds herself slipping into that frame of mind whenever they go out on patrol.

But those aren't the only things she's learned how to do. She's also figured out how to adjust the strength of her powers, to stun or merely injure the Grimm instead of outright vaporizing them. You can never have too many tricks up your sleeve, after all.

With a brilliant flash of light, Ruby leaves the Nevermore frozen in its tracks, allowing Weiss to scramble out of its path just in time. "Thanks!" Weiss calls over her shoulder, glancing back at Ruby. When the younger girl stumbles slightly, Weiss is there in an instant to steady her partner. "You okay?"

"I'm fine!" Ruby reassures her partner, eagerly charging back into the fray. "Let's finish this!"

All her hard work pays off when they come face-to-face with Cinder once again. Ruby doesn't allow her worry for Penny and Weiss and Winter to make her panic, instead channeling her fear into her desire to protect her friends. Silver light washes over the icy cavern.

They might be surrounded by threats on all sides, but for now, at least, Ruby's friends are safe. They can deal with the rest.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please comment and leave kudos if you liked it.


End file.
